Clem Snide / Wednesday, May 19
Shawn Macdonald
The reptilian stares of Frog Eyes.
Josh Reed
Trainwreck gets ready for bed.
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Judging by Clem Snide's newest record, The Meat of Life, it'd be safe to say singer Eef Barzelay is barely hanging from a thread these days. Seemingly every song involves hapless, lovelorn, terminally cursed characters who have to take long, hard looks at themselves and their relationships with each other, making for an awkward tangled-up tango of mistakes, missteps, and missed expectations. Lyrically, Barzelay is a master of brutally honest observations of typical mundane, mid-life American domestica (I'd put money on at least one song being about a blowup in Ikea), ultimately transforming these snapshots of others' lives into sweeping, gorgeous anthems that transform neuroses into beautiful poetry. With the Heligoats, Cady Wire. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599. 9 p.m. $12. GREGORY FRANKLIN
((Low Hums)) / Wednesday, May 19
Even if the distorted, eerie songs by Seattle minimalist psych-rock act the ((Low Hums)) didn't have titles like "Peyote Gunfight" or "Lost on the Trail," they'd still evoke stark desert landscapes, gunslinging cowpokes, and violent scenes straight out of Deadwood. The throaty vocals, ominous cello, and shrieking distortion make for a tense listening experience, but the psychedelic riffs balance the creepiness. It's the sort of atmospheric music ideal for telling harrowing ghost stories around the embers of a campfire, and the dynamics of the music read like just such a story: There's as much weight in the absences and little atmospheric accents (whistling, wind) as there is in the heavy guitars. With Whalebones, Hard Drugs. Comet Tavern, 922 E. Pike St., 323-9853. 8 p.m. $7. SARA BRICKNER
Soulive / Wednesday, May 19
Depending on how loudly you play it, Soulive's organ-fueled jazz/funk can serve either as a party-ready rave-up or a chill lounge backdrop. Over the decade of its existence, the trio has fiddled a lot with format. Singers have come and gone, and everything from dub-step to atmospheric post-rock noodling has popped up onstage and on record. Through it all, Soulive's raison d'être has remained the same—to move people, literally and figuratively. The Hammond swells, the guitar cuts like a hot knife through funk-butter, and the beat makes your body move in five directions at once. With Staxx Brothers. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m. $15. NICHOLAS HALL
Magic Mountain / Thursday, May 20
For all his talent and success, Grant Olsen is still intent on anonymity. Playing under his childhood nickname in Arthur & Yu and changing the name of this side project from Magic Mountain to White Lightning and back, Olsen seems intent on keeping his fans guessing where they can see him next. Hopefully by the time he gets around to releasing a record featuring his simply beautiful acoustics and instantly recognizable vocal—which in a single emotional crack can rival the chills of a lover's breath on your neck—he'll just settle on his own name and accept his destiny. With the Moondoggies, Grand Hallway. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m. $15. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR
See Me River / Thursday, May 21 See Rocket Queen.
Skerik's Syncopated Taint & Charlie Hunter Trio / Thursday, May 20
Skerik's many projects range from the shamelessly retro (McTuff) to the strenuously strange (Critters Buggin'), but the Taint's always been right in my sweet spot—creative, horn-driven, acoustic groove-jazz with the sophisticated techniques of Mingus and the Meters' sense of fun. It helps, too, that Skerik's brought together the very top tier of Seattle players and given each their perfect setting. Seven years ago, the band played at the grand opening of the Triple Door; tonight, the band returns to celebrate the release of a live recording of that long-ago performance. The great Charlie Hunter, who does that guitar-and-bass-line thing, among other tricks, will open with his trio. Triple Door, 216 Union St., 838-4333. 7:30 p.m. $17 adv./$19 DOS. All ages. MARK D. FEFER
Weekend / Thursday, May 20
Ryann Donnelly is a woman completely possessed by music. Her electric voice, fixed stare, and Ian Curtis–inspired movements made her last band, the goth-punk-meets-new-wave Schoolyard Heroes, a sensation among Seattle's youth. She brings those same qualities to Weekend, a joint venture with Past Lives' Mark Gajadhar. Donnelly may have been Seattle's best shot at a reinvigorated post-punk scene, which makes her recent announcement that she's going to grad school in New York City a major letdown. She quit Blood Cells, her experiment in post-hardcore with members of SYH, in April, and her last show with Weekend before leaving for school is June 10. But Donnelly's not done with music altogether. She says she's heading to L.A. later this month to record "new songs, and a few of my favorite Weekend tracks for a full record of pop gold." With Lisa Dank, Spurm. Can Can, 94 Pike St., 652-0832. 9 p.m.PAIGE RICHMOND
Bare / Friday, May 21
The 1997 reissue of the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds included a disc of 11 songs with all the instrumentation stripped out, leaving only those terminally sunny, ethereal vocal lines. It's a fascinating way to appreciate the innate musicality of the human voice, a characteristic that gets somewhat lost when it's married to chords and percussion. On the other hand, it's an incredibly vulnerable experience for a vocalist, which is why the brave souls participating in tonight's entirely a cappella evening deserve major props for essentially getting naked onstage tonight. With members of the Moondoggies, Grand Hallway, the Maldives, Goldfinch, Pablo Trucker, Shenandoah Davis, Caleb Quick. Fremont Abbey, 4272 Fremont Ave. N., 701-9270. 8 p.m. $8 adv./$10 DOS. HANNAH LEVIN
